Colombo (LNW): The Defence Ministry of Sri Lanka has approved the Chinese research vessel ‘Shi Yan 6’ to carry out geophysical and seismic survey on Sri Lankan waters in collaboration with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). The approval was granted upon a request by the NARA and the Foreign Ministry, according to a Ministry Spokesperson. The survey vessel’s arrival in the Sri Lankan waters sparked grave security concerns by India, and subsequently led to many speculations on and off the media. The vessel had previously visited Sri Lanka on April 20, 2022, and remained in the Sri Lankan waters for a period of ten days, attracting the attention of many parties. Over the past years, a large number of Chinese vessels had reached Sri Lankan ports, and these include the Shi Yan 6, Shi Yan 1, Shi Yan 3, Xiang Yang Hong 3, Xiang Yang Hong 18, Xiang Yang Hong 1, Xiang Yang Hong 6, and Xiang Yang Hong 19.